# Introducing new "wet" cigars to a humidor



## Sparks (Oct 19, 2013)

After experiencing regular over humidity problems in my old humidor, I bought a nice 125 count cigar humidor with a digital cigar oasis to control the humidity.

After getting the humidor conditioned and stable at 68% humidity, I added some sticks, and they have been the best.

New cigars from where I buy them are always over humid, and I placed them inside with the pre existing ones and noticed the humidity rides at around 72-73% (the cigar oasis is set at 68%, so it hasn't been adding any humidity of course)

Tonight I smoked one of the pre existing cigars and it was wet, (bad tasting and hard to keep lit), so it's been soaking up excess water.

My question is, what is a good quick way to dry down newly purchased over-humid sticks to the right humidity so they don't make everything else wet?

BTW, I smoke Acid Kuba Kuba cigars. - don't hate me if you think they are a lame brand, but they are what I started on 15 years ago, and I thoroughly enjoy them (when they are at the right humidity).

Edit: Oops, I intended to add this to the General Cigar Discussion. Can a mod move it over there please? Thanks.


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## JustinThyme (Jun 17, 2013)

First thing is to ditch the Cigar Oasis. This is one of the reasons you will see folks recommending not to use one, particularly in anything that holds less than 1000 sticks.
Second order of business is to order up a media that has two way humidity control. The two favorites are Heartfelt beads or boveda packs. Personally I use the 65% beads in 3 humiidors and a wineador and they all stay betwen 64%-66%. Where they differ from the Oasis is they will absorb moisture as well as release it to maintain the humidity level of choice.

Another alternative is non scented crystal kitty litter such as Exquisicat. I cant speak for this method as I have never tried it but there are plenty other BOTLs that swear by it and could give you some pointers on how to set it up.

One more point with the active humidification devices. The sponges in them tend to be breeding grounds for mold.

IMO the post is right where it belongs as the discussion is really over humidity control accessories.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

:clap2: What Rob @JustinThyme said! A two way humidifier always works best in small (under a thousand cigars) storage containers.


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## mpls (Sep 7, 2012)

I agree w the above suggestions, but in the meantime you can dry box new sticks for a few days if you know they're wet. Then add em to the humi.


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## dgold21 (Jul 7, 2007)

eBay that Oasis...it will be useful for someone, but definitely not for your 125 ct humi...100% agree with everything already said...as will 99% of the veterans here? Good luck...and welcome to Puff!


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## Sparks (Oct 19, 2013)

That gave me an idea.

I reset the set point on the Oasis from 68% to 65% then unplugged it and left the lid open on my humidor for about 4 hours this morning. After closing the lid and letting it sit an hour I plugged in the Oasis. It has not turned on at all today, and read in the low 67% but has slowly fallen throughout the day and has been sitting at 66.0% for about an hour now. Maybe sometime tomorrow it will reach down to 65%.

I'm hoping to enjoy a good smoke tonight.


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## SigMike (Jul 9, 2013)

Sparks said:


> That gave me an idea.
> 
> I reset the set point on the Oasis from 68% to 65% then unplugged it and left the lid open on my humidor for about 4 hours this morning. After closing the lid and letting it sit an hour I plugged in the Oasis. It has not turned on at all today, and read in the low 67% but has slowly fallen throughout the day and has been sitting at 66.0% for about an hour now. Maybe sometime tomorrow it will reach down to 65%.
> 
> I'm hoping to enjoy a good smoke tonight.


It can take days if not weeks for a cigar to drop from let's say 70+ down to 65. You still don't have a way to absorb moisture in your humi...only a way to add with the oasis. What everyone here is telling you is 100% dead on. IMO turning down the oasis is just a bandaid for the bigger issue, and that is the inability of your set up to remove humidity. Every time you add new wet sticks....your rested ones will be forced to take on that new moisture. Two way media is the long term solution.


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

I'm sure someone else will chime in here to confirm this, but even if you do get the ambient RH to stabilize at 65% it will take much longer than a day or so for the wet sticks to get down to 65% in that environment.

Edit: Mike beat me to it.


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## SigMike (Jul 9, 2013)

smknjoecool said:


> I'm sure someone else will chime in here to confirm this, but even if you do get the ambient RH to stabilize at 65% it will take much longer than a day or so for the wet sticks to get down to 65% in that environment.
> 
> Edit: Mike beat me to it.


Joe, you are correct. Hygro's only measure the Rh in the air around it and not the cigars. Over time the cigars will acclimate to that Rh as long as there is a way to soak it up.


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## Sparks (Oct 19, 2013)

I'm not saying I'm going to necessarily keep the Oasis, but I won't be able to do anything about it until next week, and then I'll have to order online or risk losing my shirt at a B&M.


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## smknjoecool (Oct 11, 2013)

If you want to smoke a wet stick in the next 24 hours I think you are SOL. Someone suggested letting it dry out some, but I have no experience doing that. 

For the long haul you can use something like Boveda which others have mentioned and they are only $4 each. You would need 2 for a full 125 count humidor. Even if you can get the current humidifier to work the way you want you would still need to wait several days for the ambient RH to stabilize after adding wet sticks. And then you would have to wait even longer for your new AND old sticks to get to 65% because they will have absorbed some moisture from the new sticks. Again, all of this info has been gleaned from other threads and someone correct me if I'm wrong. Good luck Dave!

Edit: and you still have to worry about mold with the current humidifier.


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## CigarInspector (Aug 22, 2013)

What did you do with your old humidor? I have a couple humidors in my home. One I keep most of my cigars in and an older one I rotate new cigars through before adding them to my main humidor. That lets me get new cigars aligned with my main humidor before I move them. 

Most days the old humidor sits empty, but whenever I order a new batch of cigars online, it is busy for a few days. If you still have your old humidor, I would suggest dusting it off and using it for your new purchases. If you are only buying a few cigars at a time, you could do the same thing with a small travel humidor or make a small humidor using Tupperware for those first few days of aging.


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## copper0426 (Aug 15, 2012)

CigarInspector said:


> What did you do with your old humidor? I have a couple humidors in my home. One I keep most of my cigars in and an older one I rotate new cigars through before adding them to my main humidor. That lets me get new cigars aligned with my main humidor before I move them.
> 
> Most days the old humidor sits empty, but whenever I order a new batch of cigars online, it is busy for a few days. If you still have your old humidor, I would suggest dusting it off and using it for your new purchases. If you are only buying a few cigars at a time, you could do the same thing with a small travel humidor or make a small humidor using Tupperware for those first few days of aging.


I use a variation on this I use a tupperdore. For two reasons from your post it seems as though your cigars go right from the purvaior to your humiddore if so it aint smart. Most will say freeze I quarentine in a tupperdore it brings the cigars to your RH and keeps them away from your stash for a week in case there are any issues. I also recomend ditching the Oasis WAY to much for a small humi. Good luck


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## Sparks (Oct 19, 2013)

My humidor has been sitting at 65 for the last few days. Last eves cigar was ok, just a touch too wet, but tonight's cigar was so nice I just had to smoke another. 
I bought a few Boveda Humidifier Packs 65% for my old humidor with an extra digital hygrometer to help get new ones under control.
I have 3 boxes in route with them so my older 35 stick humi is going to be busy for a while.
My online retailer doesn't sell Heartfelt Beads, so tomorrow I'm going to order some from another retailer to replace the Oasis.
Thanks for the tips!
I think I'm going to save the Oasis and keep my eye out for an affordable CL wine cooler for use sometime in the future.


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## BlueDevil07 (Jun 20, 2013)

Did anyone else see the thread title and think there was a new cigar brand laced with PCP? :mrgreen:

If you wanted to test the RH of an individual cigar, @JustinThyme posted a clever idea a while back. Put one of your cigars in a ziplock bag along with a hygrometer and let it sit for a day or two. This should give you a good idea of the RH your cigars are at. But remember that this is an average RH of the cigar. The filler will most likely be somewhat more humidified than the wrapper if they're in the process of equilibrating to a lower RH in your humidor.


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Couple things at work here. First off, it's not just the fact that you've added wet cigars, but just adding cigars will always spike your humidity. Whenever you decrease the air volume inside the humidor, without changing the RH, you get the same amount of water in less air. RH rises.

Secondly, most online vendors store in the neighborhood of 75%, so by the time they get to you, they're likely closer to 74%. If they chuck in a water pillow, or some other moisture source, this compounds the problem. I always grimace whenever I read someone whining about not getting a water pillow in their order.

I would not recommend dry boxing. All you'll get from that is a dry wrapper and a wet filler, which is the equation for a cracked/split wrapper. As suggested, I would recommend using an old humidor, or even a humidor quality cigar box, such as you get with RyJ Anniversario. Toss in a tube of un-charged 60% HF beads and ignore for about 3 weeks. This will suck them down faster than tossing them into a 65% box and won't affect your existing inventory. Otherwise, figure roughly -1%/wk to reduce moisture content.

All that said, your Acids will actually smoke fairly well around 68-70%.


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## Sparks (Oct 19, 2013)

Herf N Turf said:


> All that said, your Acids will actually smoke fairly well around 68-70%.


I know it's a matter of personal opinion, but are you of the opinion that Acids would smoke better at 68-70%?


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## Herf N Turf (Dec 31, 2008)

Sparks said:


> I know it's a matter of personal opinion, but are you of the opinion that Acids would smoke better at 68-70%?


Indeed. Not a fan, but from what I've seen, the components in Acid cigars tend to be relatively thin and light. They don't tend to be rolled that tightly either. Add to that, the fact that the infusion materials evaporate rather quickly and I think you're better off on the moist side of things.


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